Advice
by xxVegetasTorturistxx
Summary: Vegeta talks to his children about life.


Bulma walked into the kitchen and smiled as she saw her husband of almost 27 years staring out the glass door that lead to their backyard. She quietly walked up behind him and kissed his shoulderblade. "Whatcha doin'?" She whispered. He didn't respond, just sighed and leaned back against her, continuing to look out the door. "You seem like you're deep in thought, don't hurt yourself." She joked.

He scoffed. "You're a funny little woman, aren't you?" He then turned around, kissed her forehead, and sat down at their kitchen table, sighing as he sipped from his morning cup of tea. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, leaning his neck on the chair. Bulma stood behind him and kissed his nose.

"Tell me what you're thinking, maybe I can help."

"I don't know, woman... it's just that... I realized that my son is almost 26 years old and I've never once given him and useful advice on life, ya know? And my daughter is almost 12... never given her any advice either." He shook his head and looked out the door again. Bulma smiled and sat on his lap, straddling him. She looked out the window as well.

"What's so interesting out there, hun?"

He slightly smiled. "Nothing... just... makes me think, I guess. Thinking about what to tell them."

"It's always better not to prepared anything. That way, when you can't think of what to say or how to say something, you don't feel like such an idiot." She giggled.

"Good point. So... you think I should just go up there and talk to them off the top of my head?"

"That's what I'm suggesting, yes. Talk to Bulla first, she's much nicer and a better listener when she gets woken up than Trunks is." Bulma laughed and sent Vegeta off up the stairs.

The once stubborn, proud, arrogant Saiyan prince walked slowly to his daughter's bedroom. He slowly opened the door to find the Bulla was already awake. She gasped when he walked in, expecting to be in trouble. "Daddy.. I'm sorry I was up... it's just... I always wake up at 6, like when I do when I need to get ready for school."

"Calm down, princess, it's fine. I could care less when you get up. The point is... I want to talk to you..."

"Oh?" The young girl sat on her bed, looking curiously at her father. "About what?"

"Life." Vegeta paused, looking at his daughter. "Go get your brother."

"Okay!" She giggled and ran into her brothers room. He came in with her a few minutes later and looked at his father curiously as well.

"You want to talk to us about life, huh? Go on..."

"First thing's first, always wear sunscreen. The long term benefits of sunscreen has been proven by scientists, where as the rest of my advice is ill-basis, and no more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will give you this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth... oh, nevermind, you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded, but trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine."

"I don't think I'm fat." Trunks said.

"SHH!" Bulla snapped at him.

"Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum."

"IT WORKS! I've done it be-"

"SHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

"The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never cross your bouyant mind, the kind that blindsides you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing everyday that scares you. Sing."

"Singing doesn't scare me, I like singing, actually."

"SHHH!!!!!!!!"

"Don't be reckless with other peoples hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss. Don't waste your time on jealousy, somtimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself. Remember compliments you received, forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch. Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life, the most interesting people I know, didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't. Get plenty of Calcium. Be kind to your needs, you'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary."

"Where the heck did THAT come from?"

"WILL YOU JUST SHUSH!?"

Vegeta laughed and went on. "Whatever you do, don't congradulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half-chance, so are everybody elses."

"Ever think of listening to your own advice?"

"SHUT UP!"

"Enjoy your body, use it every way you can, don't be afraid of it, or of what people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own. Dance. Even if you have no where to do it but in your own livingroom. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good." Vegeta looked down as his words hit his heart hard. "Be nice to your siblings."

Trunks looked at Bulla, as she looked at him and they laughed.

"They're your best link to your past and the most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but with the precious few that should hold on, work hard to put the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you'll need the people you knew when you were young."

This time, Bulla piped up with a question. "So... is life hard for you? You don't have anyone around here that you knew when you were young..."

Vegeta just smiled and went on with his advice. "Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths. Prices will rise, polititions will filander, and you too will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, polititions were noble, and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you'll have a trust-fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse, but you never know when either one might run out. Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it'll look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is the form of nostalgia. Despensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts, and recycling it for more than it's worth. But trust me on the sunscreen."

Trunks smiled, as did Bulla, who was now sitting on her father's lap.

"And by the way, Bulla... yes. Life is very hard for me because of that. But... sometimes, when people get their friends and family taken away from them... they can find other people to help them cope."

"Who did you find?"

"Your mother, Bulla." He smiled.

"When did you know you were in love with her?" Bulla's eyes grew wide and sparkled.

Vegeta's smile grew larger. "Let's see... I knew I was in love with your mother on no special night, no special occasion, nothing really special was happening, or did happen when I learned that. I... I was just sitting there in bed, thinking about absolutely everything that I could possibly think of. I couldn't get to sleep, and I got hungry, so I went down to the kitchen, but when I looked in the fridge... nothing looked appetizing. All this funny stuff was happening in my stomach, and I couldn't eat. I felt strange, and I just sat down at the kitchen table, looking out that same glass window like I still do when I think. I knew I felt something for your mother, but at the time I wasn't sure what. I sat there for almost two hours, before I felt a small hand on my shoulder, I turned around and saw that it was your mother. She smiled at me and asked me what I was doing up so late. I told her that I couldn't get to sleep, and we started talking. Something about her opened me up and I told her about what I was going through. All the strange feelings, all the thoughts, all the dreams, everything. She told me that she thought I loved her. I denied it up and down, of course. And then she said something to me I'll never forget. She said, if this doesn't do anything, you aren't in love with me. And then she kissed me. Something inside of me went crazy and from that moment on, I knew I was in love with your mother."

"That's a pretty story, daddy."

"That it is, Bulla, that it is..." Vegeta looked to his son, and nodded to him, telling him he was dismissed. The Saiyan looked out his daughter's bedroom window and smiled. "You wanna go to the zoo, princess?"

"YEAH!" She screamed and ran around her room getting ready. Vegeta laughed at her enthusiasm.

He walked out of her room so he could get Trunks and Bulma. When he got out the door, he saw his wife leaning against the wall. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "And how long have you been standing there spying on me?" He laughed and rested his forehead on hers, kissing her nose.

"About... 10 minutes. I came in on the last half of your advice... and I heard your story about when you fell in love with me." She smiled and nuzzled her head against his chest.

"You wanna go to the zoo?"

She giggled. "Of course. I'd be happy to go visit your relatives." She giggled again.

"Oh, you're funny." Vegeta smirked, as he chased her down the hall, into their livingroom.


End file.
